Ball bearing



Jan. 15, 1929.

W. H. RHODA BALL BEARING Filed Sept. 29, 1925 Patented 15, 1929.

WILLIAM H. BHODA, OF LAKELAND, FLORIDA.

BALL BEARING.

Application filed. September 29, 1925. Serial No. 59,388.

This invention relates to improvements in ball bearin s and has for an important object thereo the provision of an adjustable ball bearing, the races of which may be altered in size to compensate for wear occurringupon the balls .or race in the useof the bearing.

An important object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be cheaply and readily produced and which maybe very readily adjusted without removing the bearing from its position.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide ball bearings, the races of which are constructed in separable sections having means whereby these sections may be adjusted to vary the size of the race provided upon relative rotation thereof together with means for locking the sections in adjusted position removable and insertible and without disturbing the balls of the bearing.

These and othertobjects I attain by the construction shown, 'in"v the accompanying drawing, wherein forthe purpose of ilustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a ball bearing constructed in accordance with my invention Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view therethrough;

Figure through the outer race member of the bear- %Figure 4 is a side elevation of the main section of the outer race member;

Fi re 5 is a sectional view through the comp ementary member of the race.

Referrin now more particularl to the drawing, t e numerals 10 and 11 esignate the inner and outer base members of a ball bearing constructed in accordance with my invention. In accordance .with my invention, each race member 10 and 11 is formed in two sections A and B having threaded engagement with one another at 12. The section A or main section, in each instance, has its inner face or that face bearing the ball race formed with one side 13 of the ball race and thethreaded section 12 for receiving the complementary section B which bears the other portion 14 of the race. By ad usting these sections toward one another, the

. size of the race provided may bereduced to compensate for wear.-

In order to "permit this ad ustment and at 3 is a transverse sectional View the same time to lock the sections in adjusted positlons, the threaded portion 15 .of the ma n section A is, in each instance provided in 1ts face with a groove 16 paralleling the axis of the bearing. The body 17 of the complementary section B is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings 18 radial to the axis of the bearing. These openings may be rovided in any desired number and are uniformly spaced from one another. The preferred spacing is such that the openings are spaced from one another forty-five degrees about the circumference of the complementary section.

A locking band 19 or 20 is provided, this locking band being, in each instance, in the form of a spring wire insertible in a groove 21 formed in the inner face of the complementary member and of such length that it extends substantially entirely about the inner face of the complementary member within this groove. One end of this band is provided with an inturned radially directed anchor 22 of sufficient length to project entirely through the complementary section and en.- gage 1n the groove 16.

It will be obvious that these anchors, being of a length less than the distance between ad acent faces of the complementary sections B of the respective race members, may be removed at any time and the sections A and B of the race member adjusted to take up lost motion in the bearing. In ord'ento facihtate such adjustment, the end faces of the sections A and B are provided with openings 24 for the reception of a wrench or the like and are further provided with coactin graduations 25 and26, respectivel whergby the amount of adjustment may be readily determined and the sections of the races ac cordingly correspondingly adjusted.

It will furthermore be obvious that the construction hereinbefore set forth is obviously capable of a certain range of change and modification without materially departing from the spirit of the invention and I accordingly do not limit myself to such s ecific structure except as hereinafter c aimed.

I claim A ball bearing comprising coacting race members each including mam and. complementary sections having threaded engage ment with one another, each of said sections bearing one-half of the race of the member whereby by relatively rotating said sections.

Hits

the efi'ective size of the race may be reduced and means for lockingthe sections against rotation in "adjusted positions comprising a s ring ring associated with one of said sections, the section having a plurality of openings therein and provided upon its inner face with an annular groove communicating with the ends of said openings, said annular groove receiving said ring, the other of the sections'having in its threaded face a groove paralleling the axis of the section, said spring having an angular portion to extend through one of said openings and engage in said groove, said angular pol'tionsbeingof less length than the distanee between adjacent faces of the race members to thereby permit location of said rings at the inner faces of the race members and in the annular groove.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

WILLIAM H. RHODA. 

